IOU IceCream
by fierydivergence
Summary: Clary Fray is your avergage college student, scraping by with a job at Pinkberry when a rock star by the name of Jace Wayland strolls in. chaos ensues when he admits he left his wallet in the car. What would you do to get your ice cream? Jace knows what he would do... AU, AH. R&R please!
1. Chapter 1

Clary Fray was exhausted. It was Thursday night, and her eight-hour shift at the Pinkberry on Montana Boulevard was drawing to a close. It had been jam packed all day, and she almost sighed with relief when the couple she had just served yogurt too left, the bell hanging from the door jingling, signaling their departure. She wiped down the tables and counter, preparing to close. She prayed to whatever force listening that no one else had a burning desire for fro-yo that evening. Obviously her prayers were not answered, as Clary glanced up wearily as the door jingled again. She did a double take as she recognized Jace Wayland, a recent rock star on the rise with his band, Alicante, in tow. He chuckled at her surprised and exasperated expression. He made a show of selecting his flavor. Clary turned her back on him to finish her cleaning. When she turned around again, she had a regulation employee smile plastered on her face. Clary had her of Jace's reputation in restaurants, and she was prepared for the worst. Her eyebrows rose as she noticed that Jace's eyes were not focused on the flavors but on _her. _She shook her head, mostly to herself before politely asking, "Do you know what you would you like to order?" If possible, his smirk deepened.

"Yes. One large chocolate hazelnut with raspberries, caramel sauce, rainbow sprinkles and Oreos." He answered, sounding as though he had memorized his order.

"The all mighty Jace Wayland has a preference to rainbow sprinkles?" Clary teased. She knew she was treading dangerous waters, especially when she saw something unreadable flash in his eyes before his face hardened back into his smirk. Clary turned away from him, setting up his order, filling the large cup with chocolate hazelnut yogurt, turning around with a smile before gently spooning the toppings onto the frozen yogurt. If she was being honest with herself, she was taking more care with Jace than she would with most of her customers, and not just to avoid a meltdown. He was charming, and very attractive. You had to be blind to be unable to notice the testosterone that rolled off of his body in waves. Clary smiled to herself as she slid the yogurt down the counter and stood behind the cash register. Ringing it up she said pleasantly, "That'll be $4.86 please." Jace's smile stayed firmly in place as he reached into his back pocket to grab his wallet. Obviously not finding it there, he checked his other pocket. And the two front ones. All that the search turned up was a few pieces of lint and a quarter. He smiled sheepishly. "I left my wallet at home," he said apologetically. Had it been anyone else Clary would have let it slide. It was the end of the day, she wanted to go home, and it was just five bucks. Who the hell cares?

But a rock star needs to learn that he was just as mundane as everyone else.

"Oh, I can just put this in the freezer for you while you run and get your wallet."

"No, I need it now."

"Well, I'm not just going to let you run off without payment," Clary said as she leaned over the counter towards Jace, anger boiling in her veins.

"You don't understand," the desperation in Jace's voice was clear as he leaned forward as well, hands splayed on the counter. "I promise I'll pay you back. But I need this ice cream now."

"Jace, it's frozen yogurt. Not life support," Jace cringed at Clary's words.

"No it's- it's my niece. She's in the hospital with stage four brain cancer. Today's the day they're unhooking her. She wanted ice cream first." Jace's voice was shaking with the effort of controlling his tears.

"Oh my God." Clary whispered. The mystery of rainbow sprinkles had been solved. "Well why didn't you just say so?" She smiled sadly as she pushed the to-go container across the counter. "Tell her I wish her the best." Jace's shoulders shook slightly as he fumbled to get his sunglasses on. Clary walked into the back room to close up for the day when the bell jingled, announcing that Jace's departure. Only now that he was gone did Clary giggle. She had met Jace. _Jace Wayland. _She had talked to him. She had learned about his fro-yo preferences. Well, his nieces fro-yo preferences. Clary was very saddened to hear about his niece, as she had lost her biological father to cancer when she was very young. Her stepfather might as well have been her real father for all she remembered of him.

Lost in thought, Clary hung her apron on the hook in the back room. Clocking out, she grabbed her bag and went to the front door to lock up. Turning the key in the lock, she watched as a small piece of paper taped to the door fluttered to the ground. Stooping to pick it up, Clary almost laughed at the numbers written on the piece of paper. Turning it over, she squinted to make out the hastily scribed writing: _Call if you want to meet for dinner. If this number winds up on social media I'll sue you. _So this was his payment. She slipped the paper into her bag, smiling. She hoped his niece enjoyed her ice cream. It was terrible that her life had to be cut short. Obviously she was much younger than Clary was. It hurt her heart to think that this girl would never grow up, never fall in love, never had kids. It was depressing. So instead, Clary turned and headed out the back door and climbed into her truck. It was old, a model from the '30s but Luke had helped Clary replace the engine so now it runs like a dream. She turned the ignition and sped off toward her small apartment. Once there, she pulled herself up the stairs and shoved open the door with her shoulder. Collapsing onto the couch, Clary stared at her phone for a moment before scrambling for the paper in her bag. Dialing the number, she held her breath as the phone rang. The receiver clicked, and Jace's voice came over the other end. "Hello?"

"Hi. Sorry if it's a bad time, but I was wondering if I could take my payment soon?"

"No, you're good. I'm sorry I never caught your name?"

"Oh, right. I'm Clary."

"Well Clary, How does tonight at eight sound?"

"It sounds wonderful."

"Where would you like to eat?"

"Whatever works for you."

"Alright, how does La Scala sound?"

"Excelent. I'll see you there."

"See you there. Bye."

"Bye." Clary hung up to prevent the word vomit preparing to spew out of her mouth. She was meeting Jace Wayland for dinner in an hour. She had to get ready. Fast


	2. Chapter 2

Walking into the restaurant, Clary had to admit that she was more than a little freaked out. _Jace Wayland_ had given her his number, and she had asked him out to dinner (basically). What was happening to the world?! Striding up to the hostess desk, she asked, "Um, a friend of mine is either joining me, or is already here…" The hostess smiled knowingly. "Your _friend_ is in the back." She lead Clary to a table for two out on the back patio. Taking her seat, Clary smiled warmly at Jace.

"Thank you for meeting me here," Jace said as he studied his menu.

"The pleasure is all mine," Clary replied teasingly, glancing over the top of the menu and finding her eyes caught in Jace's golden ones. She almost gasped, his eyes were practically liquid gold, swimming around his pupil. Averting her gaze, Clary didn't notice the waiter had arrived until he awkwardly cleared his throat. "What can I get for you two tonight?"

"Your finest champagne please," Jace jumped in before Clary could say 'water'. Shaking her head in amusement, she handed over the menu. "I think we're ready to order,"

"Fire away,"

"I'll have the Raviolone Alla Checca please," Clary said politely.

"And for you sir?" The waiter turned to Jace.

"The calzone if you please."

"Your food will be out as soon as possible," The waiter said before stalking off toward the next customer. It was a few more minutes of awkward silence before Clary spoke up. "So how is your family doing?"

Jace's mood took a steep decline at the mention of his family. "They're holding up. I mean, it's hard. Rosie was such a wonderful person, and she was so young. Only 9."

"She was 9?!" Clary was astounded. "That's just not fair."

"I know. Can we talk about something else please?" Jace was fiddling with his silverware, looking uncomfortable.

"Like what?"

"Like, the deep stuff."

"Fire away." Clary gave a small smile.

"What's your favorite color?"

"Oh now you've stepped over the line," Clary joked. "I don't have one actually. Artists are supposed to be open to all mediums and tools, and colors are considered a tool."

"I see. Are you taking art at SMC?"

"Yeah. And you dropped out of school… when?"

"Ninth grade," Jace grinned unabashedly. "Problem?"

"None. Just wondering what you have against higher education." Clary was still teasing him.

"I believe that higher education is art," Jace said, faking a haughty air. Clary laughed, a high clear sound.

"Oh really? Because my major is art, as I told you before."

"Touché, young grasshopper." Jace grinned as the waiter brought their food. It was steaming hot, and the pair devoured it. Halfway through her meal, Clary burst out laughing. Jace looked at her in confusion, still chewing a bite of his calzone. "I'm sorry," Clary said, wiping her eyes of laughter tears. " This whole scenario is ridiculous."

"What do you mean?" Jace swallowing.

"I mean, you're," Clary's voice dropped, in case anyone was listening. "Jace Wayland. And I am sitting at a table. With you. Eating dinner."

"Thank you for that Captain Obvious," Jace joked, although his golden eyes caught Clary's again, and there was something deeper in them than just two acquaintances out for dinner. "I didn't mean to overwhelm you or anything, but I wanted to thank you."

"No, it's totally fine. I was happy to help." And they were back to to the subject of his niece, Rosie. She was only nine years old. So much of what life had to offer was stolen from her. It must've been so hard, knowing she was going to die, at age nine. She would never be a double digit. It must've been so hard for her family to tell her goodbye. It must've been so hard to let go. I looked at Jace, and I guess he saw the sadness and understanding in my eyes. "Are you finished?"

"Yeah. You ready to go?" Clary hoped he would stick around after tonight. Jace Wayland was a tough nut to crack, but she'd be damned is she could't figure out how to do it.

"Let's go." Jace payed the check, all though Clary insisted she pay the tip. He held his hand out to her, and she took it gingerly. He gripped her hand firmly, and she squeezed it to let him know she was still present. The pair walked out into the parking lot hand in hand, gaining many stares from passerby. Since this hour of night made the whole world dimly lit, you couldn't really see their faces, so no worries about paparazzi. Clary was more aware, on the other hand, of the lack of symmetry between them. Clary was short, thin, with fiery red curls that cascaded down her back, freckles dotting every which way across her pale skin, and emerald green eyes. Jace was an entirely different story. Easily six feet, tan, muscular (but not scarily so) with those golden eyes of his that made you feel like you were drowning. His honey colored hair was slightly curly at the ends, and he had a beautiful face. Clary must have been staring at him, because Jace grinned cockily down at her. "Like what you see?" he teased gently.

"Maybe. How about you?" Clary was joking, but she actually wanted to hear what she thought of her.

"Definitely," came Jace's reply. he leaned down and kissed her cheek. Clary blushed, hoping the fall of night would cover it up. "I had a great time tonight," Jace told her as they stood in front of her car. She smiled up at him, the picture of calm and collected on the outside. On the inside, however, she was _freaking_ out. _Where would they go from here? Was she supposed to kiss him? Jace Wayland had an inhumane supply of women to run through, so why her? Why would he want to kiss her? Why would he take her out to dinner… _Clary's mind rambling stilled to the quiet calm of an undisturbed lake when she saw Jace lean in slightly, far enough that he could pull back without it being awkward. Clary wanted to kiss him. Boy, did she want to.

So she did.

**A/N I know, I know! Terribly short chapter, but I felt that was a good way to end this chapter, on a cliffhanger, just to mess with you. I absolutely love love love you all for your your reviews and your follows and favorites and reads in general. If you have any suggestions or things you want to see in the story PM me! P.S if I get 500 views by Sunday, you'll have a new chapter by Wednesday, I pinky promise. Until next chapter porcupines!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Over 1500 views! Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed or favorited, but mostly thanks to my amazing sister Maia for reading this story and being an overall awesome sister. Thanks girl!**

**Previously: She wanted to kiss him. Boy did she want too.**

**And so she did.**

Clary leaned forward and pressed her lips to Jace's, hard. He kissed her back, pushing her against her car door. They kissed for minutes, or hours possibly, it was hard to tell. When Clary pulled back, she studied Jace's face. He had his eyes closed, like he was trying to memorize the kiss. His eyes snapped back open, and there was a mischievous glint in his eye that made Clary want to fidget. "So," Jace said smirking. "Your place or mine?" He winked at her and Clary thought fast. "Both." Jace raised his eyebrows.

"I go to mine and you go to yours," Clary deadpanned. Jace laughed, throwing his head back. Clary laughed along, all though she was completely serious. Jace quieted, and tipped his forehead down to meet Clary's. "When can I see you again?" he whispered. A thick curtain of Clary's fiery curls encased them, and the whole world ceased to exist. "What day do you get off your rock star duties?"

"Hmm, I could make a few calls," Jace said, softly teasing.

"Can you meet me on Saturday at Pinkberry?"

"I could do with some fro-yo."

"Perfect," Clary was about to turn to open her car door when she felt large hands on her waist. Jace spun her back around and Clary found him smirking down at her. "If you have a wise crack about me being short," Clary started. "Well, I do have one of those, but I was going to ask for your number. You have mine, so I figured it was only fair."

"Fair, hm?" Clary mumbled, holding her hand out for Jace's phone. She pulled up his contacts and slipped her number in, taking a quick picture of herself so he would know who it was. She gently placed the phone back in his hand. "I'll see you Saturday," Clary said, before sliding into her car. As she revved the engine, Jace stepped up to her open window. "I'll text you later Clary berry," Jace winked and took a few steps back from the car. Clary grinned as she sped off into the night.

It wasn't until the next day when she got a text from Jace. Not like Clary had stayed up all night to see if he texted her or anything. (She totally did). Her phone buzzed. Clary didn't have classes today, and her shift at Pinkberry was strictly a Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday thing. Clary nearly fell off the couch when she saw Jace's number pop up on her screen.

**Jace: So I was thinking tomorrow dinner and a movie? **Clary analyzed the text. He was going for classic date, they didn't really know each other yet, so how was he supposed to know anything about her? And everything about him she knew was probably bullshit since it came from tabloids and things like that.

**Clary: Sounds perfect! Can't wait**

**Jace: What can't you wait for? ;)**

**Clary: Do you ever go two minutes without thinking about sex?**

**Jace: Well now that you brought up the topic of sex, no.**

**Clary: Oh shit**

**Jace: I won't bug you with my sexual innuendos. However, I have heard that red heads are very good in bed….**

**Clary: Let me guess. You want to test that theory.**

**Jace: If you insist Little Red!**

**Clary: I'm not the only one that's little.**

**Jace: shots fired.**

**Clary: bang bang! I'll see you tomorrow.**

**Jace: Oh hey Clary?**

**Clary: Yeah?**

**Jace: I actually am quite…. tall. See you tomorrow!**

Clary laughed. Jace was a totally normal guy, considering his super star persona. He was super funny and sweet, ad he cared about his family, and YOU'VE ONLY KNOWN HIM FOR TWO DAYS CLARY PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER! I needed to talk to someone. I knew the drill. Last time I freaked over a guy, my best friend got so pissed that I didn't call her the second after I got home that she literally tied me to my kitchen chair to interrogate me. I hit the sped dial button and Isabelle's voice came through my phone. "Clary?"

"Izzythere'saguyandineedyoutocomeoverrightnowbecauseI'mfreakingout," I said in a rush.

"Okay. Do you need ice cream, tequila or advice?"

"Tequila and advice." I heard Izzy make a sympathetic noise.

"I'll be right over." She was knocking at my front door, tequila in hand, in under seven minutes. Izzy took one look at my sweatpants and said "oh honey," pulling me in for a hug. It was kind of an awkward hug. Not that Izzy wasn't the most affectionate person I had ever met, because she totally was, but she was a solid eight inches taller than me. Standing proud at just under 5' 1", Izzy towered over me at her natural height, add to that the seven inch heels she always wore and it was an awkward hug waiting to happen. I hugged her back before closing the door behind her and dragging her to sit on my couch.

"Okay Clary berry, spill." Izzy had a look on her face braced for the worst.

"Well I was working my shift the other day, and this guy came in. A gorgeous guy. And I made this ice cream for him, but it was actually for his niece, who was like nine, she died of cancer the other day, and then he left me his number because he forgot his money in his car so that was like his payment or whatever, so then I went to dinner with him yesterday, and we just had a totally middle school conversation through texting and I just-" I sucked in a breath. "I'm not sure I can tell you who he is, either."

"Well there is only one boy I have ever heard you call gorgeous." Izzy said, recognition dawning on her face, lighting up her eyes.

"I can't believe it! You went on a date with Jace Wayland!"

"Yeah. And tomorrow he's picking me up from work, and we're going to dinner and a movie."

"Jesus."

"Basically."

"I'm so glad you guys got together!"

"I just have one question." I glanced sideways at Isabelle. "He called me Clary berry. You're the only one who calls me Clary berry." Izzy glanced guiltily at the floor. "Isabelle…."

"Oh the full name. Okay, well, Simon's band _The Mortal Instruments _opened for Alicante when they went on tour last year, and Simon kept in contact, and I met them once or twice…"

"And you totally told him about me and he happened to meet me, so it liked triggered his memory or something."

"Right."

"Okay. I'm still mad you didn't tell me you met them though," Izzy merely grinned and asked, "Tequila shot?"

"Why not?"

A couple tequila shots later, Izzy was slurring out her words. "How are you not drunk yet Clary? You're short." Izzy giggled. Clary sighed.

"You're staying here tonight Iz. I'm going to call Simon," Clary reached for her phone

"Si?"

"Oh hey Clary, what's up?"

"Nothing much. Hey listen, Izzy is kind of drunk right now, and I don't think it would be a good idea to transport her from my place to yours."

"I got you. Is there a reason that I should know of that caused her drunkenness?"

"Just two girls having fun!"

"Alright thanks Clary. You take care of Iz now."

"Oh my God, Si, who do you think I am? Talk to you in the morning. Bye," Clary hung up. Izzy had passed out in the short time it had taken Clary to call Simon, so Clary lifted the larger girl into a more comfortable position on the couch, covering her with a soft blanket and leaving a note and some Advil on the coffee table.

_You got drunk; I called Simon so he knows you're at my place. Take some Advil and try not to throw up anywhere that isn't the toilet. xoxo- Clary_

Clary tossed her clothes off of her body and climbed into her bed. She snuggled under the covers, her thoughts turning to Jace, not for the first time that day.

Waking up was always Clary's favorite thing to do in the mornings. She loved the feeling of her sleep-muddled brain finding its bearings, and the half consciousness of waking. She did not like actually leaving her warm and comfy bed, which is known to any of her friends and family who tried to get her up in the morning. Stretching her arms up over her head until they popped, Clary eventually rolled out of bed and stumbled her way into the kitchen in her just right sized apartment. Brewing a pot of coffee, Clary glanced over her shoulder to find Izzy on her couch. Right. Izzy. Pouring two steaming mugs of coffee, Clary gently nudged her best friend awake with her toe. Izzy shot up from the couch, then groaned and held a hand to her head. Clary wordlessly passed her a mug of coffee before whispering that there was Advil on the table. Clary left to go get changed. She had to think long and hard about what she was going to wear today. Today was her second date with Jace Wayland.

**A/N So that was chapter 3. As always, I love to hear your opinions and comments and everything. And if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them! Also, follow my sister and I on Instagram! The username is fiery_divergent. Thanks guys! Until next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Sorry for the late update! School's been crazy-excuses, excuses, believe me I know. I know what you guys want to do. get on with the chapter! But first, Disclaimer: I do not own the Mortal Instruments. All recognizable characters, settings, and quotes belong to their respective owners.**

Clary was sitting on the floor of her closet when Isabelle found her. Surrounded by her clothes, she was staring dejectedly at them, as though they had wronged her in some way. "My clothes have failed me," Clary told Isabelle mournfully. Isabelle crossed her arms. "Girl, I have a hangover, so either tell me what you want me to do what you need help with, I don't have the space in my head for games."

"I. Have. Nothing. To. Wear!"

"Clary, the date isn't until tonight, why are you freaking out now?"

"Because if I don't freak out now, I'll have even less time to freak out later, duh," Clary stated in a tone that made it apparent she thought it was obvious.

"You'll freak out later anyways," Isabelle reminded her before pulling her up off the floor. "If your clothes aren't working for you, why don't we go shopping?"

"Shopping?" Clary asked from her clothing-failure induced haze.

"Yes Clary, shopping. Spending money on ridiculously over priced pretty things like shoes," Isabelle said slowly, speaking as though she were talking to a stupid person. Clary nodded and walked out of the closet. Isabelle sighed and picked a sundress off the floor and threw it at her friends retreating form. "Change into that! I'll be waiting by the front door."

Shutting off the bathroom lights, Clary grabbed her purse and met Isabelle by the front door. Isabelle gave her friend a once over and a nod of approve before dragging Clary out the door. "You don't have to drag me, you know. I'm more than willing to shop with you." Isabelle continued to pull her out of the building and into Clary's car. Isabelle got in the driver's seat and sighed, ruefully staring at the keys dangling from the ignition. "Is something wrong?" Clary asked her friend.

"I miss getting in a taxi. New York was the best,"

"Yeah, but L.A has better mani pedis," Clary said, wiggling her fingers in front of her face for emphasis. "Let's go shopping already." Isabelle grinned and started the car, pulling out of the garage and into the street. Navigating through LA morning traffic was a struggle, but after many red lights and stop signs and bad driving, they eventually made it to the Promenade, one of the largest shopping centers in Santa Monica. Isabelle had to drag Clary away from Barnes and Noble (come on, the thing is three stories tall. You can't not want to go in) before pulling her into her favorite store. Clary, despite her wardrobe problems earlier that morning, hated shopping. Isabelle grabbed a shopping bag and filled it to the brim with clothes and shoes. Handing it to Clary, she shoved her in the general direction of the dressing rooms. "We'll accessorize you later," Isabelle said with a wink, sashaying off to find herself something cute to wear. Clary sighed, locking one of the dressing room doors behind herself. She tried on outfit after outfit, nothing seemed right for a movie date. She did pull a few things just because, I mean who wouldn't? Finally finding the perfect outfit. Tight, black leather pants, a black camisole and a sheer black shirt with ace flowers trailing up the back of the shirt. Clary smiled at herself in the mirror, grabbing one of the pairs of heels Isabelle had thrown in the bag just to please her friend. Clary took the outfit off, put her regular clothes back on and left the changing room to make her purchases. Thanking the cash register, she turned to find Isabelle starring in awe at a pair of shoes on a shelf. Clary sighed, and moved to stand next to her friend. Sometimes it was hard to be best friends with a shopaholic.

"Izzy. Let's think about this. Why do you want the shoes?" Clary asked slowly, trying to rationalize her friend.

"Pretty. Tall heels. Very sparkly." Isabelle said, as if in a shoe-trance.

"How much are the shoes?" Clary asked, smiling to herself. Isabelle picked up one of the heels saw the price tag, and put the shoe back down. "Never mind. Not pretty," Isabelle said with a frown on her face. The two girls left the store, heading towards Clary's car. "So how's Si these days?" Clary asked, trying to bring her friend out of her funk.

"Oh, he's great," Isabelle said, perking up immediately. "The other day, I asked him about an old high school photo of the two of you, and I got all the old embarrassing Clary stories," Clary groaned. "The ones I didn't already know, of course." Isabelle added with a grin.

"You never told Jace about these stories, did you?" Clary asked nervously.

"Well, no. But I'll tell him eventually." Suddenly, Isabelle gasped, and stood rooted to the spot in the middle of the sidewalk, causing other pedestrian to make rude gestures and walk around her. "Izzy what's wrong?" Clary asked.

"No, Clary all is right in the world!"

"Iz, what are you even talking about? Come on keep moving," Isabelle started moving again, and the pair continued down the street.

"Okay so I freaked because I remembered something."

"And it was…" CLary said, motioning with her hand for Isabelle to continue.

"In middle school, we learned about genetics, right?"

"Right," Clary replied, not sure she liked where Isabelle was going with this.

"And Jace has blonde hair, you have red hair. Two recessive genes."

"And your point is?" Clary cringed in preparation for Isabelle's answer.

"You two will have the cutest strawberry-blonde babies ever!" Isabelle shrieked. Clary blushed lightly.

"Let's keep walking Isabelle, we're holding up pedestrian traffic."

"Nice change of subject, Fray," Isabelle noted. Clary stuck her tongue out at her, before reverting her face back to a laughing smiled, looping her arm through Isabelle's. "Come on, I want to get home soon." Isabelle pouted a little. "You can even do my makeup," Clary added, giving in. Izzy clapped her hands together and pulled Clary behind her as she ran down the street towards the car.

Arriving at her front door, Clary inserted the key and shoved the door open. Isabelle shut the door behind them, and the taller girl dragged Clary by her wrist into her room. Moving her to stand in front of the mirror, Isabelle glanced at the red head before going through Clary's purchases. Clary sighed before stripping down and stepping into her small bathroom. It was another step and a half into the shower. Calling it a shower isn't exactly right, because there was no hot water in Clary's apartment. Better to call it the ice block, Clary thought. The cold water was refreshing enough, but Clary sighed with relief when she shut the water valve off and wrapped herself in her warm, fuzzy towel. Wrapping her sopping mass of curls in a turban towel, Clary stepped back into her room to find that Isabelle had left the outfit Clary had bought earlier out on the bed. Clary smirked, when they were younger Isabelle would ever have trusted Clary to put on the clothes she laid out. Drying off, Clary slipped the clothes on her body. Facing the mirror Clary beamed like the sun. She loved the way the clothes looked, hugging her petite body and giving the illusion of curves. She smiled as she slipped her new heels on, glad for the extra height. Five nothing was not a fun height to be (really she was 4' 11") but if it gave her a excuse to wear heels she'd take it.

She was pacing anxiously in front of her front door. Isabelle had left half an hour ago, telling Clary to 'call me later'. Clary was worried. Would Jace not like what she was wearing? Had he changed his mind? Did he not want to go out with her anymore? Finally, Clary mentally slapped herself across the face. Who cared? If she liked what she was wearing, then everyone else could suck it up. If Jace didn't want to go out with her anymore, tough. He would just have to deal with losing one of the best things to ever happen to him… Interrupting Clary's mental psych-up, a knock came on the door. All the breath whooshed out of Clary's lungs like children running from the building on the last day of school. Her hand shook as she opened the door to reveal a stunning as always Jace Wayland. They stared at each other for a while, taking each other in. Jace was wearing dark jeans and a navy blue, long sleeved shirt. Jace cleared his throat. "You looked really great." Clary blushed a fire engine red, ducking her head to the side. Jace took her chin in his hand and turned her head so that she had no choice but to stare him straight in the eyes. They took their time, Jace finding it hard to stay focused when he was looking at Clary's emerald eyes that sparkled like jewels all day long. Clary found it hard to breath when she saw Jace's golden eyes. Clary pulled away first, grabbing her purse off the floor and grabbing the door handle. "Ready to go?"

**A/N I know, sorry, cliffhanger! you guys have been waiting for Jace and Clary's first date and I give you this shitty filler chapter about fashion. I pinky promise (and I don't break my pinky promises) that next chapter will be Jace and Clary's date AND what comes after *winks*. Rating may change for next chapter btw *hint, hint*. Anyway, review, follow, favorite, support. Love you guys! and don't forget to follow me on instagram fiery_divergent!**


	5. Chapter 5

The drive over to the movie theaters, Jace held Clary's hand the entire time. She blushed every time he squeezed her hand. It just felt right to her, that her small had was encased in his large one, the soft skin of her fingers brushing against his guitar callused ones. The silence was comfortable between the two, and neither felt the need to break the ice. Or Jace didn't, but Clary hit the radio, and a song by Alicante blasted on. Jace laughed. "Do you know how weird it is to hear your own song on the radio?"

"I don't reckon I'd know the feeling, no," Clary joked. Jace chuckled.

"Well, let me describe it for you. You wrote a song, alright? And it gets big, really big, so suddenly it's playing on radio stations everywhere, and you avoid turning on the radio just so you don't accidentally tune in, so you don't listen and try and find where you screwed up a chord during the recording, but you can't find that part. And you know that somewhere, there's a guy wishing he were a rock star, and somewhere, there's a girl wishing she was your girlfriend, and it's all too big for you, you know? There are guys my age deciding on college majors. College majors, Clary. Nothing but the idea of college majors has ever seemed so trivial nor so important to me in my life. Those guys get to decide who they want to be, I'm stuck with this. Alicante swill haunt me forever," Jace was shaking, and Clary knew he had just revealed a big part of himself to her. She pointed out a side road and he pulled over, hands shaking. He hung his head. "Sorry 'bout that," he whispered, ducking his head low and looking at her through his lashes. Clary took his chin in her hands. "Never be sorry about the truth Jace. It's too important." Clary leaned in so their foreheads were touching. "But you know what Jace? You are just a normal guy. A non-normal guy wouldn't be thinking about that stuff, he'd be thinking about which product to best grease his hair with." "I wake up this beautiful," Jace monotoned. Clary grinned. "Exactly. And so what if Alicante haunts you? You're in your prime, it's just like you said, tons of guys would kill to be you! Enjoy what you have, your fifteen minutes might be up soon." Jace stared at her for a good long while before taking his hand and running a callused finger over her cheek, tracing ever line of her face before dropping his hand to rest on the back of her neck. Jace abruptly pulled them together, eliminating any space between them and their lips. Clary's eyes fluttered shut, her eyelashes ghosting her cheeks. Jace forced his eyes to stay open, he wanted to see Clary every waking minute of every day. He didn't know how he had lived before her. She was beautiful, and smart, and witty, and normal. Hell, she hadn't even wanted to sell him ice cream! He wasn't sure he loved her now, but he was damn right on the path to it.

They walked into the theater a half hour later. At the concession stand, Jace asked for two sodas and one medium sized popcorn. The poor guy working the stand had a dazed look on his face as they walked away. As they snuck into the theater, Jace whispered in Clary's ear, "I hope you don't mind. It's one of the original James Bond movies." Jace was beyond amused when Clary's eyes lit up. They found their seats at the back of the theater, and Clary had settled in and was intently watching the film with both of her hands wrapped around her soda before Jace could even sit down. He chuckled silently to himself, sitting down next to her. "I love Goldfinger!" Clary whispered to him. Jace had noticed Clary mouthing the words to the movie. When the time came to say the famous line, Clary turned to Jace and mimed putting on sunglasses before whispering, "The name's Bond. James Bond." Jace cracked, a smile splitting his face down the middle. Clary giggled, and soon they were both howling with laughter. Everyone in the row in front of them turned around. "SHH!" An old woman said harshly, with a finger to her lips. This only made them laugh harder. Clary stood and pulled Jace up with her free hand, the other one covering her mouth so no laughter escaped like a loose dove. The couple left the theater no more than an hour after they'd gotten there. Once they were standing outside on the street, they no longer felt the need to contain their laughter. It shot out of them like a bullet from a gun, and they nearly fell over. A police car almost pulled over, about to arrest them for being drunk in public, but Clary waved them off.

"This is why I love spending time with you. You always make me so happy. I haven't laughed this hard… in…. well, never," Clary smiled at him gently. "I love spending time with you too." their hands swung back and forth between them, having never let go of each other.

"So what do you want to do now?" Jace asked. They were in Jace's small flat, hidden away from the outside world. "I''m relieved of superstar duties until next month, unless something comes up."

"Hm," Clary had a lot of different possibilities running through her mind, and a lot of them involved blind folds, which provoked Clary to mentally slap herself, considering how early it was in their relationship."We could play twenty questions again?" Clary suggested.

"Fine by me. What is your most embarrassing moment?" Jace leaned back into the couch, resting his arm on top of the cushions.

"Oh, that's an easy one. It'd have to be the time when I was in a rush to get to one of my early morning art lectures, and when I walked in all the guys started cheering, and I didn't know why until I looked down and realized my shirt was unbuttoned." Jace chuckled. "Oh, there's more. there was the time I was seventeen and Alicante had just become a thing, so naturally every girl everywhere was obsessed. I was like in love with Alec at the time, so I made a video confessing my love. It is now floating somewhere in cyberspace. Of course I regret that now that he's come 'out of the closet' so to speak." Jace was full on guffawing now, doubled over and clutching his stomach. CLary's face reddened in embarrassment. "Alright then Mr. High and Mighty, what's the stupidest thing you've ever done?"

"There are too many of those," Jace joked. "Probably when I went to get a tattoo of a bird on my back. They did the wrong one by accident."

"Oh, that is pretty bad. Okay, I have my next one. Can I see your tattoo?" Jace seemed to get a little shy, pulling in on himself like a turtle. "Okay," he said, no louder than a whisper. He turned away from me on the couch, so his back was to me. He grabbed his shirt by the hem and pulled up. The cotton fabric slid off his body, inch by inch revealing the unblemished skin beneath. When the shirt left his body, Clary was left breathless. The bird was beautiful. There was a trail of small feathers that grew larger the closer they got to the bird leading across his shoulder blade. Clary raised her hand and allowed her fingertips to graze the surface of his skin, her artists eye and hand memorizing every crevice, every movement of his body. Jace shuddered at her touch, the muscles beneath his tan skin rippling. Clary was mesmerized by him. How much money she would have give to draw him only God knew. Clary needed to be closer to this man, to feel the heat of his skin. She pulled herself across the couch so that her front was flush with his back. Wrapping her arms around his middle, she pressed her cheek to the middle of his back. Jace turned in her arms so that they were facing each other. Clary's head now rested on his sculpted chest, his arms looped around her delicate waist. She tugged him backwards lightly, and he complied, so that she was laying down on the couch and he was hovering over her. They hesitated, neither wanting to pop the bubble of a perfect moment they had created. Clary leaned up as Jace leaned down, one of his strong arms shifting to rest behind her and support her back. The kisses were soft and warm, reminding Clary of fresh baked cookies. Wait, what? Clary smiled into the kiss, and she soon realized they'd have to stop if they didn't want things to go to far. As if he read her mind, Jace pulled back. Clary smiled softly up at him, her emerald eyes sparkling. The Los Angeles sun was just beginning to set, and her hair was set on fire by the light that shone through Jace's window. Clary curled up on her side, pressing her back against Jace's hard chest. He lay a gentle hand on her head and spooned around her. Clary fell asleep to the soft rhythm of Jace's breathing.


	6. Chapter 6

When Clary woke up on a couch that was not her own the next morning, she had a brief moment of panic. When she noticed that Jace was spooning her on the couch, her panic amplified. And then she realized she was still wearing clothes. Clary let out a sigh of relief and focused on Jace. He really was amazing. She had met him a week before, and not once had he tried to have sex with her, not once had he pushed her past her limits. He hadn't even come close to her limits. He was kind, and caring. He loved his family; he was devoted to his job. He was hilarious, intelligent, and insightful… All qualities Clary looked for in a man. Is Clary was being honest with herself; she liked Jace a lot a lot a lot. To say she loved him would be premature; she hadn't known him for very long. Clary stared at his face. Like everyone when they were asleep, his features relaxed, and he looked years younger. His golden lashes ghosted his cheekbones, his hair tussled from sleep. His arms were wrapped possessively around Clary waist. She smiled lightly down at him, pressing a kiss to his temple. She attempted to unravel his arms from her body so she could stand and make some coffee, but her movement woke Jace. "Hey," Jace said, his voice gruff with morning-ness. Clary shivered. She wouldn't mind if she had to wake up to that voice every morning.

"Hey," she replied, her voice soft in comparison to his. "How'd you sleep?"

Jace smiled quietly. "Well. And yourself?"

"I slept like a baby," Clary replied. Jace chuckled, his chest rumbling against Clary's.

"To be perfectly honest with you, I wouldn't mind this every morning," Jace admitted. It was a gesture that nearly tore Clary's heart in half with her love for him. Wait. Love? Oh no…

"I was just thinking the same thing actually," Clary blushed, her soft-spoken words washing over Jace like tide on a beach. He pulled Clary into a hug, wrapping both his arms tight around her waist. Clary pushed against him, and a confused and hurt look flashed across Jace's face. "Where you going?"

"I need coffee, that's where." Clary deadpanned. Jace laughed in his low morning voice, and Clary shivered again.

"Alright, let's get you some coffee," Jace pulled Clary and himself off of the couch. Swinging Clary over his shoulder, she squealed. "Jace!" Clary cried. "Put me down!" Jace chuckled again, and Clary felt it reverberate in her own chest.

"I will do no such thing. And besides, I know you like it." Clary stopped her squealing, which gave Jace all the answers he needed. He set Clary down on the small kitchen counter in the petite kitchen. Jace's apartment wasn't what Clary had expected. Hard wood flooring and glass paneling, maybe. Not the typical LA apartment that she was sitting in now, much like Clary's own.

"How do you like your coffee?" Jace asked, pouring the dark brew from the pot into two mugs.

"Black. Like my soul." Clary quipped as Jace passed her the mug. Clary inhaled deeply, holding the cup with both hands. "Mm, coffee." Jace's landline rang, and his golden eyes flashed a dangerous gold before he picked up the phone. "Hello?" His eyes narrowed when the person on the other end spoke. "Will, man, I'm off duty until the end of the month. Don't do this to me." There was more conversation on the other end, and the person was clearly getting angry because Clary could hear raised voices all the way from her spot on the counter.

"Fine. Fine! I'm coming in. And don't scare her, you hear?" Jace hung up. "I hate to tell you this, but that was my brother, Will. And he needs me back in the studio today."

"Oh." Clary tried to hide her disappointment.

"But, I promised you'd have me until the end of the month. And coincidentally, they need to re-shoot the music video. And they need a girl. And as you so happen to be here…" Jace twirled a piece of Clary's fiery hair between his index and middle finger. "Would you mind helping us out?"

Clary walked into the large record building. Large wasn't exactly the right word for it. Massive maybe. Gargantuan, definitely. It's sleek, tiled floors and high glass ceilings were more than enough confirmation- anyone who worked in these buildings was _loaded_. It made Clary shift uncomfortably, causing her to think about Jace talking about being a normal guy, and had he known what stardom was he wouldn't have chosen this path. Clary's shoulders rolled back, relaxing and she held on to Jace's hand all the way through the building into studio 7C. This room was a much more intimate space, although there was an open doorway that led off somewhere outside of Clary's line of vision. Jace rapped on the wall, even though he had already entered the room. "Hey guys," he said to the room at large. Four guys turned around. Four really good-looking guys turned around. They were all tall. One of them was taller than Jace, but the other three- not so much. The group just stared at each other for a moment. One of the boy's gazes was flickering between Jace, Clary and their entwined hands. Clary made a small wave with her free hand, and the moment collapsed in on itself. One of the boys, he had black hair and shockingly blue eyes -Will, Clary remembered- he came up and slapped Jace on the back. "A red head. That's new." Will laughed heartily before stepping off to whisper something in the ear of the silver boy, Jem. Jem was the opposite of Jace. His hair was silver, and his eyes were a stormy gray. Jem chuckled at whatever Will had just said. Clary was so focused on the two of them that she almost didn't notice when another boy came over to them. He also had black hair and blue eyes, but he couldn't be related to Will, because their facial features were too different.

"Hey Jace."

"Alec, please." Jace held up a hand to stop Alec. "Whatever you're going to say, Clary is not a one night stand okay? So just… don't." Alec smiled sincerely.

"Alright then," Alec gestured to the man standing next to him. Tall, lean, and sparkly were the first three adjectives to come to mind when Clary glanced in his direction. He was wearing a pressed white shirt with a black blazer on top of that and he had his hair gelled. Obviously his hair gel was of the sparkle variety because his hair would literally shine every time the light would hit it. "This is Magnus." Clary extended her right-hand for a shake but Magnus leaned in for air kisses. Clary blinked in surprise.

"Magnus Bane darling. And you are?"

"Clary Fray," Clary answered, but it came out more like a question.

"Clary, it's a pleasure. Jace is this the one for the video?"

"She'd have to fill out the consent forms first Mags," Jace said, swooping into the conversation to save Clary. Clary shot him a grateful look and squeezed his hand to let him know she was thankful. Jace squeezed back and followed behind Magnus as all the guys went to sit down on the couches and lounge seating at the back of the room. There wasn't a lot of seating actually, so Clary ended up on Jace's lap. The guys were totally unfazed by this, which caused Clary to wonder how many girls Jace had 'brought home' so to speak. The guys were all talking in the background, but Clary wasn't paying attention. Her eyes had begun to glaze over, and she was staring at a spot out the window. "And how does that sound? Clary?"

"Huh?" She refocused back on Magnus, who was passing her a stack of papers. Just look through these, sign on the dotted line, and we're good to go! Boys, you hurry off and go change, you know where the costume room is. Don't want to leave Tess waiting now, do we Will?" The other guys made crowing noises as Will blushed. They all stood, Jace moving Clary gently off of his lap. He kissed her gently on the forehead and walked into the other room with the rest of the guys. Clary began reading through the pile of papers. It was a lot of legal work and fine print, but Clary had no intention of having something come back to bite her in the ass began she didn't read something.

It was fifteen pages of legal shit before Clary signed off on the dotted line, finishing her signature with a flourish. She neatly stacked the papers all together and handed them back to Magnus, who had a mile look of appreciation in his eye. "I'm guessing a lot the girls you get to be in these videos don't read the fine print?" Clary asked while Magnus shoved the papers into a filing folder. "No," Magnus said mournfully. "And that is why I like you. You seem to be good for Jace. How log have you known him?"

"About a week and a half, give or take." One week, five days, three hours and twenty-seven minutes, Clary thought to herself.

"Wow."

"I'm going to take that to mean Jace is quite the player."

"Pretty much." Magnus leaned forward, dropping his voice down to a whisper. "I'm going to tell you this because I like you, and only because. Whatever you've been doing is working, but if you break his heart we will come after you." Clary gulped.

"And what if he breaks mine?"

Clary was wearing leather pants, a sheer white top with a black bra and a black leather jacket. Her hair was up in a crazy twist bun thing that one of the stylists Sophie did. Her eyeliner was thick, her mascara making her already long eyelashes appear even longer. Red lipstick was swiped across her lips. Clary felt hot. So when she walked into the studio, ready to film, Clary had no problem acting the way the clothes made her feel. With one hand on her hip and Magnus walking beside her, Clary stood behind where the guys were all conferring about the video. There was a small camera crew in the background, and they were all aimlessly wandering about, waiting for instruction. Clary cleared her throat, and the boys all turned to look at her. Jem averted his gaze, Jace's eyes were practically bulging out of his head, and Will's jaw had dropped to the floor. Clary did a 360º for them, showing off the way the clothes hugged her body.

"What do you think?" Clary asked, smirking.

"You look like someone whose phone number should be on a bathroom wall," Alec said, waltzing over to Magnus. "So perfect."

In the video, Clary got onto her motorcycle. It was from Alicante's hit single Love Runs Out (**a/n the song is really by one republic)** and Clary was terrified. She had to ride the motorcycle over to where some hired actors had been betting up Jace, get him onto the motorcycle behind her, and speed off into the night. Then it would switch into the whole band singing and playing outside at night, while Clary danced around them with sparklers in her hands. Sounds ridiculous? That's what Clary thought too. Magnus however, seemed to think it was perfect.

"Alright, that's a wrap!" He yelled. Everyone cheered, and a 'drinks on me' came from one of the guys. Everyone dispersed to get his or her clothes and makeup off. Tessa and Sophie helped undo her hair and rid her of the makeup, Clary watched in the mirror as her face transformed from the girl she knew, to the one Jace should be with. Clary had never doubted herself, but seeing this, Jace's real world, what was a girl to do?

**A/N SO that's chapter 6 of IOU Ice Cream. I hope you all enjoyed it, and if you didn't or if you have any ideas regarding where the story is going, then PM me or leave something in the comments. I love all of you, thanks so much for reading and reviewing and I will try and post sooner. Sorry for the late update. Have a great week everyone! P.S I don't own Love Runs Out nor do I have any affiliation with One Republic, I just like their music.**


	7. Chapter 7

**I am so so sorry for not updating in forever I got super caught up in schoolwork, and we had a bit of family drama… oh well. Enough about me and onto the story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters. My plot and ideas are mine, however. **

Everyone ended up fitting in one car. Actually, all of the guys got proper seats, except Alec had to sit on Magnus's lap and Clary on Jace's. Alec was being really cute about it; he kept blushing and refusing to acknowledge Magnus. Jace had his hands looped around Clary's waist, pulling her closer than a friend would to his chest. After seeing myself transform in the mirror back at the studio, Clary wasn't really comfortable being around Jace. She knew she shouldn't be so self conscious, Jace had shown no qualms about making out with her on his couch, but still. Will and Jem were joking around good-naturedly in the front seat, placing bets on god knows what. "So Clary," Magnus quipped, starting her out of my reverie. "How did you meet Jace?" Clary snorted.

"What is this, meet the parents?" Clary felt Jace's chest suck in a breath, and she felt him release it, the breath whooshing past her ear. "I was finishing up my shift at Pinkberry when Mr. Golden Boy over here walks in and orders some ice cream."

"That's it? Didn't you guys at least have really hot sex next to the cash register?" Will called from the passenger seat. Jem made a weak attempt to shush him, but the two boys were laughing too hard to care. Clary's face glowed a red that rivaled her hair, and Jace just laughed. He kissed the tip of her ear (which was the same color as her face) and finished the story. "Actually, I had forgotten my wallet in my car, and Clary shouted some colorful words of wisdom before handing me my ice cream and kicking me out." Clary turned around to face Jace. _That wasn't the whole story. Why is he hiding his niece from his band mates? _She made sure those questions were prominent on her face. Jace just shook his head, the universal signal for _I'll tell you later_. Clary nodded slightly, nestling back into Jace's chest. She could feel the heat radiating off him in waves, and she smiled to herself, remembering what his chest looked like without his shirt.

"What are you smiling at?" Jace teased in her ear.

"Just thinking about you," Clary replied in a whisper.

"Oh yeah? What about me?" Jace whispered back. Clary figured he already knew the answer.

"Just about what I could do to you later…" Clary let her sentence trail off at the end. When Jace didn't reply, Clary bit her bottom lip and blushed again, looking around the room to make sure none of the guys had noticed. Alec and Magnus were arguing about something, and Will and Jace were once again zoned in to their own conversation. Clary was content with seeping into her own thoughts for the rest of the ride over to the bar.

Walking into the bar, Clary felt underdressed. Her skinny jeans and simple tank top didn't even make a dent in what some of the clothes that people here were wearing. Some people had dyed hair, but like, rainbow dyed hair. The clothes were too flashy and too revealing. Isabelle would have loved it. Clary made a mental note to tell her about it later. Clary moved hesitantly through the room, trailing behind the guys. The hostess led the group to a small booth in the back, where Clary once again ended up mashed up against Jace. Everyone but Clary ordered a beer.

"What, nothing for the little lady?" Will teased.

"What, you authorize underage drinking?" That shut him up. Actually, it shut everyone at the table up.

"You're not 18?" Jace asked.

"I'm 19. Not 21. So… illegal drinking age." Magnus nodded his approval along with Jem, who seemed to be quite the goody two shoes himself. The table remained silent for a while before resuming their cheery talk. Clary nestled deeper into Jace's chest, content with the feeling that spread through her, warmer than any liquor could ever make her. When Jace's arms wrapped around her waist, when he whispered in her ear, she didn't hesitate. The crowded club rejected the attempted goodbyes they said to everyone. Will was off with his arm around some girl, Clary thought Tessa wouldn't like that very much. Jem was laughing at Will's attempts, and Magnus and Alec were not so secretly making out in the booth, the red vinyl wrinkling beneath. Jace all but dragged Clary out to the car.

"But how will everyone else get home?" Clary asked, not really concerned.

"They'll figure it out," Jace growled. He graciously opened the door for Clary before hopping into the drivers seat. He revved the car, going from zero to sixty in less than thirty seconds. They were driving fast and furious, carefully avoiding any and all cops in the area. They stopped back at his apartment. Jace slammed the car into park in the driveway. All of Jace's movements were quick and sudden. Clary knew what he wanted and she wanted it too, wanted to make them something real. So she never even thought about complaining when Jace scooped her into his arms and had shut the door behind them before Clary even registered that it had opened. They were in his living room, and Clary had the sense of deja vu, with their chests pressed so tightly together there wasn't any room for a full breath. They were standing in front of the window that overlooked the whole city, and the setting Santa Monica sun was casting a warm glow over them. Clary recognized the corniness of the situation, but couldn't find it in herself to care.

_(**I was gonna put a lemon here but I couldn't bring myself to write it.)_**

Clary woke up to patterns being traced across her stomach. Jace's tan body pressed against her snow pale skin looked out of place, but Clary was elated that Jace had chosen her. She could hardly believe it. In the back of her mind, that image of her transformation from bad ass to normalcy had found a permanent place to root it's tendrils of fear.

"Morning Sunshine," Jace's voice was the only thing she ever wanted to wake up to, she was sure of that now. Clary rolled over onto her side so that she was facing Jace, their noses brushing, their eyes locked. Clary let her hands do what they wanted, her left sliding up his chest and across his abdomen, her right tangling lightly in the hair behind his ear. "Morning yourself," Clary replied, her voice rough from not having used it all night. Well, actually… Jace smirked at the hoarseness in her voice. "You're beautiful," Jace said quietly, and Clary's eyes froze in his. She knew he was just saying that. He was only saying it because he had to. It's ok. "Jace, no." Clary whispered.

"Actually Clary no. Listen. I saw you yesterday after the video. You seemed so weighed down, like something was holding you back. I thought it might've been meeting the guys; but you seem fine around them. And I figured- well I want you to know that you're beautiful."

"Jace, it's ok. You don't have to lie for me."

"It's not lying. It's looking at things a different way. And Clary, I want you to know that I saw your scar last night."

Any air that had been in Clary's lungs left. She had completely forgotten about it. She was so caught up in her new life that she hadn't even thought of her past. When she was 14, she was bullied. Bad. Really really bad, so awful and horrendous you would never believe the things they said to her. One night Clary tried to cut her thigh, up high enough so that no one would notice. Her mom came a minute after the blood started pouring out, and she patched Clary up without a word. The two of them hadn't spoken about it, and Clary doubted they ever would. She curled in on herself a little, pulling away from Jace and twisting the sheets to cover her body.

"Oh no. No, absolutely not. Clary, why can't you see that you are beautiful? That I love you? Christ Clary, I've known you for three fucking weeks and I'm in love with you." Clary had tears in her eyes when she rolled back over to face him. "And I know you love me too. Say it Clary, God please say it."

"Jace- Jace I love you." Clary's lower lip wobbled, and a tear slipped out. One after the other. She tried to tell herself to stop. She tried to tell herself not to ruin their morning together. But in some ways, this just made it more perfect.

"C'mere," Jace sighed hopping out of bed. His outstretched hand grabbed Clary's and he coaxed her feet to the cold wooden floors. He led her over to his closet door. Hanging off the back of the door was a mirror, and Clary looked away from it the second she saw it. It wasn't that she hated her body, she just wasn't happy with it. "Clary, look at me." Clary raised her eyes in the mirror, catching Jace's. "I want you to look at yourself and tell me everything you don't like. Clary's teeth were practically mauling her bottom lip, fighting to stay calm. _He just said he loves me and now he wants me to tell him what I hate about myself?_ She stepped closer to the mirror, her pale skin catching the light.

"Well for starters, my nose is crooked because I broke it as a little kid. And my freckles, God Jace, I have so many freckles. And my hair; it's too bright, and too wild. And I'm way too short. I'm 4' 11" Jace, did you know that?" Clary's voice was quickly becoming detached from her body, the list of her least attractive features was one Clary had memorized a long time ago. "And my chest-" Clary glowered at her boobs in the mirror, as if that would make them grow. "Are basically non existent. I'm wire thin, I have no figure, and I have no confidence what so ever."

When her eyes rose to meet his through the mirror, the light altered the image so it looked like his eyes were watering. Clary turned around to see him better, and his eyes really were filling with tears. Jace was crying for _her._ Not tears of pity, because lord knew she would strike him down if he ever pitied her. They seemed like tears of desperation, frustration maybe. Or maybe just sadness.

"Is that really what you think Clary?" Clary nodded. "Okay. Turn back around. Clary's eyebrows furrowed, and once her 180º was complete she felt Jace's hands encircle her waist. "Jace-" she warned.

"Trust me. So you say you don't like your nose? I wouldn't even have noticed it had been broken if you hadn't said something. Your freckles are endearing," He laid a hand on her cheek for emphasis. "They're sweet and charming and I love them, but not as much as I love your hair. You hair Clary- did you know that only two percent of the world's population are natural red heads? That makes you unique, and the wildness only makes it more you. And your height? Would you rather walk around, 5' 9", having people stretch their necks up high to talk to you? Your height is so you, Clary. And your breasts Clary, are nowhere near as small as you think." Jace gently laid one of his large hands on her chest, like she was a horse he was trying not to spook. "Your body is perfect Clary. You, you are all you, all the time. And your confidence? Why don't you believe in yourself Clary why don't you believe when I tell you that I love you, that I love your body and your heart and your mind and your soul? Please, please believe me."

Clary's body sagged with relief, and the weight that she had carried around for longer than Jace knew was suddenly lessened. It wasn't completely gone, because no one ever feels confident all the time. But now it seemed more like Jace had taken half to help her carry it. But when Jace shouldered this burden, he seemed at ease, comfortable almost. She reminded herself to ask him about his niece soon. For now though, Clary turned around and pressed her cheek into Jace's chest. "Thank you," she whispered.

"I love you," he replied, his hands holding her firm against him, making her feel warmer and safer than she ever had in her life.

"I love you too."_

**Oh my gods this chapter had a mind of it's own. I started with a cutesy little- and then- this. Ugh. I have no idea what happened. Before y'all panic, this is not the last chapter, but the end is upon us. Thank you guys for sticking with me! Also, a side note on this chapter, for those of you who cut, or are thinking about cutting, I'm begging you, you only get one life, don't waste it hating yourself. Everyone is beautiful in his or her own way, and one day someone will come along who looks at you different from everyone else. I promise, it'll happen. Hang in there everyone.**


	8. Chapter 8

It had been a week since Jace had told Clary he loved her. It had been three days since he had asked her to live with him. It had been four non stop days of Jace, Jace, and more Jace, yet Clary still missed him. The band had gotten together for 'guy time' (i.e talk about their girlfriends, drink beer, and watch football) Clary had called Isabelle, whom she hadn't seen since the shopping spree before her and Jace's first date, and Isabelle was on her way over to Jace's flat. Glancing around the living room, Clary let every detail wash over her like a wave breaking over a rock. The couch was a chocolate brown, a corduroy fabric, soft underneath her skin when she ran her fingertips over it. The walls, once a dull cream white, now brightened by the red statement wall Clary had bargained Jace into. The kitchen, once unorganized, now even more unorganized because of the addition of a few of Clary's cooking utensils she couldn't leave at her place. Clary saw through her peripheral vision the blank walls, nothing hanging on them, no personal items. Clary made a mental note to paint something for Jace later. Christmas was coming up, maybe she'd paint something for him then. Puling her hair up into a knotted and messy bun, Clary went into the shared bedroom and got her sketchbook and graphite pencils out from where she had left them on her night stand. Trotting back into the living room, Clary plopped herself down on the comfy couch, once again running her fingers over the corduroy. Flipping to a blank page, she twirled her pencil in her fingers, racking her brain for creativity. Coming up empty, Clary tried the two questions her Mom had taught her when working on art for a client. _What would the customer want? What would the customer love?_ Jace. We're thinking about Jace here, Clary reminded herself. _What would Jace want?_ Nothing to girly, it was Jace after all. _What did Jace love?_ He loved his family, his friends… His friends. The band. Alicante. Clary looked down at the bank page of her sketchpad. Now that she had an idea of what to sketch, the blank page wasn't terrifying. She began to roughly sketch out a poster of Alicante's. It was the first poster that had ever been released of the band, and being the obsessed girl she was she had committed everything about that poster to memory. It was dark, a navy blue that flirted with black. Streaks of light came in from the edges, hitting on Jace, who was depicted as an angel, slightly larger than the rest of the band, and featured dead center. Jace had no shirt on in this poster, and Clary penciled in the abs she knew so well onto her paper. She drew Jem and Will rocking out to their guitars next to Jace, slightly smaller than Jace himself. She sketched Alec, who had his eyes closed, and was raising his left arm. Encased in his left hand were his drum sticks. Clary pulled out of herself to take a long hard look at the rough sketch. Now that she had the placement right, Clary came to the most frustrating oart of drawing- the editing. Just like when she wrote papers for her English professor, she had to go back and edit the rough draft. Shade a little here, erase a little there, adjust his eyes, add some swirling, dark patterns on the bottom of the page. Clary tucked her pencil behind her ear while she used her index finger to rub the graphite and blend the swirling patterns into the rest of the sketch. Pulling back again, Clary noticed that there was still a lot of blank space behind and around Jace. Clary had tried to fill him on the page with what would become light once she paired it, but something was still off. It needed something extra. So Clary began to ask herself some more questions her mom had taught her to use whenever she got artists block. _What are the customers hobbies? Who or what doe stye customer remind you of?_ What did Jace remind her of? He reminded her of a freaking god, the way his golden eyes pooled and liquified, the way he carried himself with the utmost confidence. Clary scowled at her page. He looked like a god already, and there was nothing to add to that. But gods were rulers too, and Jace didn't want to rule. He wanted to help. And gods had helpers; angels. And what did angels have? Wings. _Bingo, _Clary thought, as her pencil hit the page again. She was blending the first wing into sketch Jace's back when the doorbell rang. Gently setting her sketchpad on the glass coffee table, Clary tucked her pencil back behind her ear as she walked to the door. Undoing the chain and unlocking the deadbolt, Clary threw open the door to find Isabelle. The two girls hugged, ridiculously happy to see each other.

"It's been too long Clare- bear."

"It has, Iz. God, can you believe it? Two weeks." Clary ushered Isabelle inside, shutting the door behind her and locking both the door and the chain.

"Yeah, I think it's like a new record or something. How have you been? Last time I saw you, I had a hangover and you were panicking about what what to wear. And look how far you've come!" Isabelle joked.

"I've been great, Jace and I have been really great. It's moving really fast you know? I mean, I've known the guy for barely a month. And I'm in love with him! It's crazy Isabelle, but it's also the best feeling in the world."

"I can't say I totally know what you mean. Simon didn't even mention love until we'd been dating for, like, three months. It took you and Jace three weeks. But I do get the whole crazy beauty thing. He's crazy, and you're beautiful," Isabelle said with a smile. Clary laughed. The two friends had their arms around each other, staring at the red statement wall while they sat on the couch. "You always know how to keep my ego afloat Iz," Clary's smile was relaxed and easy. The power of a best friend was never one to be estimated. After a few long and comfortable moments of silence, Isabelle fidgeted. "Clary?" Clary made a noise in the back of her throat, letting Isabelle know she had heard her. "Don't freak out okay? I could totally be wrong, but I need to tell you." Isabelle's voice was rising in pitch, and she was clearly freaking out. "I'm late. I'm way, way late. I'm not sure what it means, but I couldn't possibly be- because we always-" Isabelle dry heaved. Clary protectively squeezed her friends shoulders in a hug. Clary took a few deep breaths to calm herself. So much for a chill day with Isabelle.

"Alright. On a scale of one to ten, ten being beyond a shadow of a doubt pregnant, one being no way in hell, what do you think?" Isabelle in took a shaky breath, trying to claim some of Clary's calmness for herself.

"A three. Possibly a four, but that's only if a condom broke…"

"Exactly. My mom went three years without her period once, and until she had me everyone thought she couldn't have kids. Isabelle, no matter what, you're fine. Wait another month and see how things go, alright." Isabelle nodded. "Great. Now how about a quick make over to cheer you up?" That caught Isabelle's attention, and Clary smiled when Izzy's full lips pulled back to reveal bright white teeth.

When Jace came home at around seven that night, he stuck his key in the lock, and when he tried to push the door open, he found the chain linking it shut. Chuckling to himself, he slid a hand through the crack in the door and slid the chain undone. He heard some music playing from the bedroom, and shut the door behind him. Looking around the living room he saw a pad of paper and two mugs sitting on the coffee table. Striding toward the bedroom, he heard the music even louder, and voices laughing and talking. "Clary?" He called into the room. He walked into the master bathroom to find Clary and her friend Isabelle, who he had met on a few occasions, doing each other's hair and make up. Clary had half of her hair straightened, the other half in it's normal wild curls. Isabelle's hair was half up in a Princess Leia bun and half down. "What are you girls doing in here?" Jace asked in a laughing tone, completely amused by the sight of these two friends. Clary turned to him, her eyes wide like a deer caught in car headlights. She turned to the mirror, emerald eyes widening even more before turning back to him. Then she and Isabelle burst out laughing again. Jace just shook his head, a smile on his face. "Don't let me keep you," he said, still grinning.

"Wait, Jace!" Clary called after him. She took the two steps to get to him before whispering, "I love you." She pressed a chaste kiss to his lips whist Isabelle muttered "PDA" under her breath. Jace chuckled again, and left the two girls to have their fun. The music turned back up, and Jace sat down on the couch in the living room. He picked up one of the mugs off the table and took a sip. It was a kind of cinnamon tea, Jace couldn't place the name. He set the mug back down, and plucked the stack of papers off the table. It wasn't a stack of papers, more a sketch pad. To be more clear, Clary's sketch pad. It was flipped to a beautifully done graphite drawing, and Jace recognized it to be Alicante's first poster. However, in Clary's version of the drawing, he had wings. Jace set the drawing back down on the table and stretched out on the couch. He'd ask Clary about it later.

**A/N Sorry for the late update again! The internet in my house was down so… whoops. Love you guys though! Thank you for staying with me! **


	9. Chapter 9

Long after Isabelle had gone, Clary and Jace lay in bed. Her head was on his chest, and his chin was resting on the crown of her head. His arms were wrapped around her, and hers around him. Both of their breathing was even, calm, restful. "Hey Clary?" Jace asked quietly, in case Clary had fallen asleep.

"Yeah?" Clary tilted her head, shifting her eyes to meet Jace's. "Is something wrong?" Clary's auburn eyebrows furrowed close on her forehead, making a crease in the perfect skin.

"No love, everything's fine," Jace said smoothing a thumb over the crease, making Clary relax her face. "I saw something very curious this afternoon," Jace began.

"Oh, something curious? This sounds interesting." Clary teased. She squirmed to get in a position to see Jace's face better.

"Yes, it was a most curious thing," Jace imitated Will's posh half British, half Welsh accent. "It was a drawing. A wonderful, wonderful drawing, sitting on our very own coffee table. And that led me to think, what else don't I know about you?" Clary gently slapped Jace's chest. "What was that for?"

"The painting was supposed to be a surprise!"

"Painting? What painting? It was a drawing, in a black sketchbook, which was filled with even more amazing drawings by the way…"

"No! Jace, that was just a rough sketch. When I had finished it I was going to paint it, and give it to you as a surprise." Clary's blush flamed across her pale cheeks.

"Well I'll just forget all about it then," Jace said cheekily. Clary leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his lips. She leaned back and began to crawl off the bed when strong arms dragged her back. "Jace!"

"Yes love?"

"I'm just going to get my sketchbook."

"You'll come back?" Jace's voice was sweet and young when he said that.

"Always." Jace's arms released her, and Clary catapulted off the bed. She skipped into the living room to find her sketchbook lying on the table next to her and Isabelle's coffee cups. After throwing her hair up into a messy bun, Clary stabbed her charcoal pencil through her mass of curly tangles that now sat atop her head. Sketchbook in hand, Clary bolted back to the warmth of her bed. She pounced on Jace; who had pulled the covers on top of him. She crawled underneath the covers to nest beside him. It was comfortable, cozy even. Clary had never felt happier in her life. But then again she could probably say that about every time she'd been with Jace.

Just as he was starting to nod off, Clary nudged him awake. "Sorry for waking you, but I was just wondering if you want to see a rough draft of the sketch, since it's not a surprise anymore." Clary had a mix between a shy smile and a smirk on her face, and Jace beamed on the inside, because he knew that that look was only for him. Jace nodded and Clary scooted closer to him on the bed. She planted her feet on the bed so that her knees were sticking up, her sketchbook resting on her thighs. Jace was staring in awe at the drawing. The charcoal shading, the band… everything was exactly like the first Alicante poster. Except for Jace. Jace's wings were drawn in such a way that you could see every feather in your mind's eye, even though they weren't all drawn in. You could see the way the light shone off of them, the way they glinted gold. From his angle on the bed, he had to tilt his head up to look at Clary, who was sitting straight up against the headboard, with her head resting back, awaiting Jace's verdict. "Is this how you see me?" Jace asked softly. He was loved and adored by girls all over the world, but never had he seen someone look at him the way Clary did.

"My gold angel," Clary leaned down and kissed his forehead. It was sweet and caring and totally unexpected; but right then, that exact moment was when Jace decided to marry her. Not now, probably not soon, but eventually.

Later, Clary put her sketchbook away. Letting her hair down, she crawled back under the covers, Jace's body heat helping to diminish the cold outside. The couple slept until the late hours of the morning, sometime around ten o' clock, when they were rudely awakened by a loud knock on the door. Jace groaned as Clary ripped the covers off him. "Go get it, might be important," She mumbled. Jace grabbed a shirt of his and pulled it over his head. He walked to the door, and stood beside it for a few moments, grumbling about how some people have no decency. The banging at the door persisted. "I'm coming, I'm coming," Jace muttered. He yanked the door open in exasperation, and he was more than a little shocked to find Will, Jem, Alec and Magnus standing before him. The four men marched into the apartment, leaving a confudled Jace in their wake. Closing the door, Jace said, "Well good mooring to you too." Will, for once, was not amused by this wise crack. "Guys come on, what's going on? It's early,"

"The early bird catches the worm," Magnus chirped. "At least, that's what they say in the media. First one to the juiciest story gets the best pay."

"I still don't get why you're telling me this shit." Jace retorted, voice rising. Small footsteps, and Clary appeared behind Jace. "Babe, what's going on? Oh, hey guys." Clary nodded to the band.

"Oh, we'll tell you what's going on," one of the veins in Alec's neck was pulsing vicariously. He motioned his hand forward, and Magnus pulled three different magazines out from behind his back. Clary reached out and carefully took the gossip magazines form his glitter coated hands. "Magnus…" Clary scrunched her face up, passing the magazines on to Jace. Jace's face was a storm of indignation.

"Who told them," his voice was low, his gold eyes blazing.

"None of us did, and that's the point. You need to be more careful. I've already contacted all three of the magazines, and they'll take your statement when you're ready to give it." Magnus said, smiling reassuringly. It wasn't working.

"So the point, basically, is that the whole world knows about our relationship," Clary stated.

"Basically, yeah."

"Well shit." Jace and Clary said in unison.

The group was huddled around their coffee table. It was so quiet you could've heard a pen drop. There wasn't much to say, they all realized what a sticky situation they were in. If they didn't say exactly the right thing…

"Just say it was two friends hanging out, and let the media speculate the rest," Alec offered after an hour or so of sitting in silence.

"Yeah, but to what end? We've seen what's gone down with the whole 'just friends' scenario," Will made air quotes around the words _just friends_.

"Yeah, but that's the thing. I want people to know about us." Jace said simply. Clary wasn't the only one who looked shocked. "Unless you don't want to, of course." This directed at Clary, who replied- "No, I want to, but… how will it affect us?"

Jem and Magnus were the ones who had come up with the plan. "It'll be annoying but worth it," they reassured the couple. All they had to do was wear the same clothes for a month, which would anger the media into leaving them alone because the same clothes would make it look like pictures from the same day. A statement had been released to the press saying that yes, Jace and Clary were a thing, no she is not carrying his baby, and yes, they're in love. That afternoon while Jace was hanging with the guys, Clary got a phone call from Isabelle.

"Hey Isab-"

"OHMYGOD YOU'RE ON EVERY MAGAZINE EVERYWHERE! WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME YOU WERE PREGNANT OHMYGOD I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!"

"Isabelle," Clary sighed. "I'm not pregnant. The paparazzi spun this whole thing out of control."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE ON EVERY MAGAZINE COVER!"

**A/N So that happened. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, the internet at my house is still down. I know this story is all out of whack, but I'm doing the best I can with school and everything. By the way, the plan that Magnus and Jem came up with is actually something that Daniel Radcliffe did to get the paparazzi off his back. Please review, they light up my day!**


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